Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover
by cuby18
Summary: Don't judge a book by its cover (in more ways than one) or age is not a measurement for danger and damage. For SpyFest 2018 Week One


**Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover**

Alex inspected his bag one last time. Clothes, check. Toothpaste, check. Smither's toothpaste that worked like acid on anything made of metal, check. The book placed on the top with a thin bookmark (it served as a dungbomb) in it, check. A small model of a plane and an assortment of other toys, check. He closed his bag and headed towards the youth hostel where he was supposed to be staying for the duration of the mission. He ignored Wolf's snickering upon noticing the toy.

''Need a toy to keep you from feeling homesick, Cub?'' he grinned at him.

''Yes, that must be it,'' answered Alex through gritted teeth. He was already regretting his decision to choose his ''helper'' from the only SAS unit that he had even remotely known. And that he still went through with his plan after finding out Wolf was the only one available at the time.

He tried instead to bring his focus back on the mission at hand. They were supposed to spy on a gang that liked to meet in a nearby toy store. Its owner conveniently decided to take a long-deserved vacation after winning some world tour in a MI6-sponsored lottery. If the results were slightly altered, who was he to say no to such prize? And the fact that they also had someone at hand that could take over a shop in his absence? Must have been a coincidence. At least for the owner. Alex himself has long ago learned that there is no such thing as coincidence in his line of work.

He ignored Wolf and entered the hostel. He calmly headed towards the receptionist's desk to pick up his keys. The receptionist recognised him almost immediately having met him in advance two weeks earlier when he came in person to not only book a room but also to familiarise himself with his new temporary working place and the surrounding town. She smiled at him and gave him his keys after engaging him in a short conversation in which she heavily hinted he would be welcome to take her out for a drink any time. He returned her smile and after a few non-committal comments headed towards his room to drop his luggage, taking only important things with him to the shop. He left everything on the bed with exception of book, toys and the plane that he moved to a bag he intended to take with him. Knowing that Wolf was waiting on him he quickly entertained the thought of making him wait but finally decided it wouldn't be worth the effort later on when he would be forced to listen to his complaints and endure Wolf exacting his revenge.

He slowly exited the building (Wolf's rage wasn't able to deter him from making him wait completely) and joined his exceedingly enraged companion. His slow exit prompted another series of comments that he steadfastly ignored as they neared the shop and he searched his pockets for the keys. He quickly unlocked the door and they entered, taking in all possible details that would, later on, enabled them to transform the interior to suit their needs.

There were shelves upon shelves filled with toys – it resembled Santa's working place as portrayed in the movies – and they could easily understand how it would make things easier fort he gang to meet on occasion as it was undoubtedly always filled with children. Alex quickly started unpacking his bag, placing ''toys'' on different shelves, in a way that was supposed to be out of children's reach and that wouldn't be out of place at the same time. Wolf was just observing him, slowly realising that toys must be important fort he mission and managed to hold his tongue and started helping Alex wiring the cameras.

They finished just in time for the shop to open. Not a minute passed before the first customers entered the shop. Day slowly passed with a steady flow of customers. Alex was left dealing with them while Wolf posed as some kind of security. They both agreed that he wasn't the best person to interact with any kid. There was only one hour left and they thought nothing would happen when everything went wrong.

Firstly, they spied a gang entering the shop. Alex offered them help which they refused (quite rudely, actually) and as any good shop-keeper that doesn't want to alienate any of his customers would left them alone. Not before he left some additional camera in the vicinity of their group, of course. It would be a right shame not to put Smither's devices to good use. It was then that things go awry. Door opening announced a new customer, this time a young girl, seemingly engrossed in the dolls. Glancing at her both Alex and Wolf, as well as the gang, discarded her as anyone of importance and returned to their respective work (shopkeeping and quiet conversation).

With Alex and Wolf concentrating almost fully on the gang, they missed the moment when the girl moved towards the cashier desk where Alex carelessly left his book and bookmark. She curiously picked it up, innocently inspecting the design that showed some pattern that sparkled when turned towards the light under the certain angle and some sort of a maze, when it suddenly activated and started emitting smoke. The attention of everyone in the shop immediately snapped to the girl and the gang stopped their hushed conversation. Alex swore under his breath and started moving into her direction, when she dropped it in fright and he could just numbly watch as it hit the floor and exploded in a large cloud of dark smoke, that further frightened her and also caused the sensors on the toy plane to activate and it started shooting tranquilising darts. Alex could just numbly watch how one of them hit the member of the gang and signalled the very first failed mission on his record. It was clear as day that there was no chance fort he gang to ever return to the shop in order to meet or for any other reason, actually. And it also meant a lot of paperwork for him to fill upon his return. OSAs and everything. Sometimes it seemed to him that OSAs were a punishment for agents that failed a mission to teach them not to repeat them as any person forced to sign one equalled another hour of filling documents. He just closed his eyes as he thought of all the jokes the others would make about him being beaten by an innocent bystander, a small girl making everything even worse. He could just imagine Wolf smirking at him from the other side of the shop at the chance of making fun of him because of it. He would never let him live it down.

When Alex reflected on this particular mission a few months later he grudgingly admitted that it at least taught him something, namely to never underestimate the danger someone poses to a mission regardless of their age, a lesson his enemies more or less successfully learnt ages ago when he started working as a spy. It was a high time he himself learnt it. And if he recoiled at a mere sight of any small girl on any of his missions for at least a decade it was in no way connected to this accident.


End file.
